Winter housekeeping

Every morning that I have off from work, I walk around the yard and check the entrances of all of my colonies. This is what I like to see. These little piles of dead bees tell me that my colonies are still alive. I use a twig to swipe them all away while trying not to get chased away. Some call this hygienic behavior, but it isn’t. This is basic housekeeping which all bees should do. If I don’t see these little piles, there might be a problem. So far though, I have live bees in all of my twenty-something hives. It seems that my decision to requeen (almost) all of my colonies with daughters of my survivors, and heavy late-season feeding has paid off thus far.

Author: brucelovesbees

I keep honey bees in Reading, Bernville, and Fleetwood, PA without treatments. I love to garden and observe Wasps, Bumble bees, and ants. I also raise mealworms for my Eastern Spotted turtle and myself. View all posts by brucelovesbees